Having issues with !exec print

[AidennXI]

I feel like an idiot, but the image on the guide is cut off just a bit, I can't seem to find any information on this even in the NPC_Util or other Luas. Everytime I try to use the !exec print function to pop an ID for Nuria in Ru'lude Gardens It kicks back [string "local player = GetPlayerByName ('Myname'); ..."] :1: '=' expected near 'Nuria'.

Could someone just provide a better example of this? I don't need hers specifically she was just my test npc for the function. placing the = anywhere in it literally does nothing XD

[zach2good]

What commands are you trying to use inside of exec? We can't debug anything without information.

Exec: https://github.com/LandSandBoat/server/blob/base/scripts/commands/exec.lua

npc_list.sql

...
INSERT INTO `npc_list` VALUES (17772740,'Nuria','Nuria',14,43.030,9.999,-66.539,1,40,40,0,1,0,0,27,0x010007027710862000305E405E50006000700000,32,'WOTG',1);
...

(untested, but should be) ->

!exec print(GetNPCByID(17772740))
!exec print(GetNPCByID(17772740):getName())

^ The same logic as you'd use in any Lua script around the codebase.

If you're trying to do a lookup by name, the main function for that is based on zone, so:

!exec print(player:getZone():queryEntitiesByName('Nuria')[1])

[AidennXI]

this is a different npc, but same result.

[zach2good]

For Nuria, using Nuria's ID:

!exec GetNPCByID(17772740):setStatus(xi.status.NORMAL)
!exec GetNPCByID(17772740):setStatus(xi.status.DISAPPEAR)

You can also just use:
!exec GetNPCByID(17772740):setStatus(0) for normal
!exec GetNPCByID(17772740):setStatus(2) for disappear

[zach2good]

Everything is based on IDs, not the entity's name. If you want to find an entity's name in game you can use !exec print(target) with them targetted and it'll print information about them to the server console/log.

print is a function, so you use it as print(arguments, ...)

[AidennXI]

No I understand that, I'm trying to determine the Id in the first place. !exec print target/ !exec print /!exec print Nuria yield no ID result like the info in the screenshot. rest of it works like a charm.

[zach2good]

!exec print(target) will give you what you need if they're your current target

[AidennXI]

That's what I've been trying to do.

[zach2good]

No spaces for function calls, copy what I wrote _exactly_

…

On Mon, 1 Jul 2024, 00:00 AidennXI, ***@***.***> wrote: Icrie.JPG (view on web) <https://github.com/LandSandBoat/server/assets/123876296/98705df8-f6aa-4ec7-bc96-1e90fcdaeee3> That's what I've been trying to do. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#5976 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAKTJIKD5TVVQKLAACKEYM3ZKCEXRAVCNFSM6AAAAABKEOPILSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43SRDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHM4TSMJZGYZDO> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[AidennXI]

On my life bruv I'm trying XD

[WinterSolstice8]

works for me, dunno what to say

[zach2good]

With a target, then without:

attempt to call a global 'print' (a userdata value) is suspicious. print is a function we override at startup, and !exec print(type(print)) returns function - so there's something majorly up.

[zach2good]

Suggest restarting, rolling back any changes you've made until it works as intended

[AidennXI]

That worked, Would you be willing to explain Dynamic Entities to me? this is kind of vague and the example code isn't really working. I keep trying to just have it so that when the server is starting up, certain npcs are turned off.

[zach2good]

As a reminder: This is an emulator for an old MMO, not a platform to allow people to make custom content. Any customisation that's possible is possible by fighting tooth and nail against the old and restrictive game client, and not many things are possible without editing the game DAT files. Dynamic Entities are a happy accident, and aren't without their own foibles.

As a start, you need to get an understanding of how Lua works instead of throwing around random code snippets and hoping it'll stick: https://www.lua.org/start.html

Secondly, you need to read and understand how this codebase handles entity IDs, and what we store in Lua globals. Specifically: what's stored in the xi object, and what's stored in the zones object. https://github.com/LandSandBoat/server/blob/base/src/map/lua/luautils.cpp#L565

Then, since you're just getting started - don't bother with modules. It's more important for you to get your hands dirty with the server than it is to write clean and update-proof code. If you want to make entities not appear, change their status flag in the database (npc_list.sql. If you change SQL files (not the actual data in the database) you'll need to update with dbtool.py and restart your server.

Dynamic Entities
The FFXI client has entities exist in a zone in 3 spaces:

• Static Entities (0x000 to 0x3FF)
  • Mobs and NPCs, names read from the DATs
• Player Entities (0x400 to 0x6FF)
• Dynamic Entities (0x700 to 0x8FF)
  • Can be mobs or NPCs, governed by packets from the servers (Pets, Trusts, Garrison Allies, Quasilumin Escort quest)
• Anything equal or above 0x900 is invalid and probably won't render)

When Dynamic Entities disappear or are removed, their IDs are later freed up for reuse by others. If you run out of IDs - they'll stop rendering etc.

The CZone class holds a CZoneEntities class, which acts as a container to hold entities of all types and iterate them when they need to be ticked/updated.

When you insert a dynamic entity into a zone, it's getting assigned a new ID and all of the parts of the Lua table you pass in (!fafnir command, and the test_entities_in_gm_home module as examples) are applied to it. It's then run and updated the same as any other entity in the game, with some limitations.

• It seems that some battle animations don't play: "X readies Y" and the related preparing animation don't appear to work
• Names are limited to <16 characters.

Once they're inserted into a zone, I believe they become part of that zone's cache, but I'm not sure about that.

[AidennXI]

Okay, I was just trying to follow the tutorials in order. My experience with Lua is pretty limited to Gearswap or other FFXI player scripts. We were just trying to hide specific Expansion NPCS until we bothered to test and integrate some balancing stuff, and get off the ground as a 75/75 COP server, while also just learning more about what's possible. Not trying to sideload in anything. Wanted it to work on server start so we didn't have to run around and manually disappear them every time.

[WinterSolstice8]

Okay, I was just trying to follow the tutorials in order. My experience with Lua is pretty limited to Gearswap or other FFXI player scripts. We were just trying to hide specific Expansion NPCS until we bothered to test and integrate some balancing stuff, and get off the ground as a 75/75 COP server, while also just learning more about what's possible. Not trying to sideload in anything. Wanted it to work on server start so we didn't have to run around and manually disappear them every time.

There is already a system in place ot do this based on "content tag", see

server/settings/default/main.lua

Line 29 in 77a1cae

ENABLE_TOAU = 1,

you can disable expansions and it will remove NPCs and other things (note that the list is not 100% accurate for each expansion)

[zach2good]

It won't turn off jobs. It depends on how you plan on letting people access things. If you lock to COP and below, but the NPCs who take you to TOAU are turned off, how are people meant to get BLU and PUP and COR, etc. Same with the WOTG and SOA jobs etc.

…

On Tue, Jul 2, 2024 at 11:20 PM AidennXI ***@***.***> wrote: Okay, I was just trying to follow the tutorials in order. My experience with Lua is pretty limited to Gearswap or other FFXI player scripts. We were just trying to hide specific Expansion NPCS until we bothered to test and integrate some balancing stuff, and get off the ground as a 75/75 COP server, while also just learning more about what's possible. Not trying to sideload in anything. Wanted it to work on server start so we didn't have to run around and manually disappear them every time. There is already a system in place ot do this based on "content tag", see https://github.com/LandSandBoat/server/blob/77a1cae26f51ccb0c1b59b422c0c9148281a4c91/settings/default/main.lua#L29 you can disable expansions and it will remove NPCs and other things (note that the list is not 100% accurate for each expansion) Yes but that will remove the expansion jobs too yes? We're trying to set it up so it's 75/75 COP but still has all job access, at least for the time being. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#5976 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAKTJIOWKP5LO4D3NXAWG6DZKMRTHAVCNFSM6AAAAABKEOPILSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43SRDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHM4TSNBRGY4DA> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[zach2good]

If you unlock all jobs for everyone out of the gate; the point is moot

…

On Wed, Jul 3, 2024 at 12:59 PM Zach Toogood ***@***.***> wrote: It won't turn off jobs. It depends on how you plan on letting people access things. If you lock to COP and below, but the NPCs who take you to TOAU are turned off, how are people meant to get BLU and PUP and COR, etc. Same with the WOTG and SOA jobs etc. On Tue, Jul 2, 2024 at 11:20 PM AidennXI ***@***.***> wrote: > Okay, I was just trying to follow the tutorials in order. My experience > with Lua is pretty limited to Gearswap or other FFXI player scripts. We > were just trying to hide specific Expansion NPCS until we bothered to test > and integrate some balancing stuff, and get off the ground as a 75/75 COP > server, while also just learning more about what's possible. Not trying to > sideload in anything. Wanted it to work on server start so we didn't have > to run around and manually disappear them every time. > > There is already a system in place ot do this based on "content tag", see > > > https://github.com/LandSandBoat/server/blob/77a1cae26f51ccb0c1b59b422c0c9148281a4c91/settings/default/main.lua#L29 > > you can disable expansions and it will remove NPCs and other things (note > that the list is not 100% accurate for each expansion) > > Yes but that will remove the expansion jobs too yes? We're trying to set > it up so it's 75/75 COP but still has all job access, at least for the time > being. > > — > Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub > <#5976 (reply in thread)>, > or unsubscribe > <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAKTJIOWKP5LO4D3NXAWG6DZKMRTHAVCNFSM6AAAAABKEOPILSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43SRDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHM4TSNBRGY4DA> > . > You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: > ***@***.***> >

[AidennXI]

If you unlock all jobs for everyone out of the gate; the point is moot

We had considered this and you're mostly right, but in our experiments, specifically mine with Rune Fencer, if you disable the Expac then all of it's Job Abilities disappear. not spells though, and interestingly Foil works.

I know I'm going against the grain trying to have my cake and eat it too. TOAU doesn't work that way, as BLU is fine with it's expac turned off. but even with subjobs set 75/75 can still only equip up to level 37 blue spells /blu.

[zach2good]

It's not a configuration we really consider, or support, so best of luck to you! FFXI isn't really built for customisation, so you'll be fighting a lot of things you don't have power over. Having 75/75 or 99/99 is hard too because the client limits what you can do. If you're 75DRK/75BLM, you can't equip 75BLM gear. It's why servers that have equal subjobs make a `!swap` command available for you to temporarily swap your main and subjob, or something, without triggering gear changes. I don't know the details, I just know that if you try to do too much outside of what the client wants the client will fight back. Disabling these sorts of checks in the client isn't currently possible unless you're a very good reverse engineer.

…

On Wed, Jul 3, 2024 at 1:14 PM AidennXI ***@***.***> wrote: If you unlock all jobs for everyone out of the gate; the point is moot We had considered this and you're mostly right, but in our experiments, specifically mine with Rune Fencer, if you disable the Expac then all of it's Job Abilities disappear. not spells though, and interestingly Foil works. I know I'm going against the grain trying to have my cake and eat it too. TOAU doesn't work that way, as BLU is fine with it's expac turned off. but even with subjobs set 75/75 can still only equip up to level 37 blue spells /blu. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#5976 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAKTJIKDAGYNS3TCD6YC6PDZKPTJFAVCNFSM6AAAAABKEOPILSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43SRDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHM4TSNBXGUYDK> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[AidennXI]

It's not a configuration we really consider, or support, so best of luck to you! FFXI isn't really built for customisation, so you'll be fighting a lot of things you don't have power over. Having 75/75 or 99/99 is hard too because the client limits what you can do. If you're 75DRK/75BLM, you can't equip 75BLM gear. It's why servers that have equal subjobs make a !swap command available for you to temporarily swap your main and subjob, or something, without triggering gear changes. I don't know the details, I just know that if you try to do too much outside of what the client wants the client will fight back. Disabling these sorts of checks in the client isn't currently possible unless you're a very good reverse engineer.
…
On Wed, Jul 3, 2024 at 1:14 PM AidennXI @.> wrote: If you unlock all jobs for everyone out of the gate; the point is moot We had considered this and you're mostly right, but in our experiments, specifically mine with Rune Fencer, if you disable the Expac then all of it's Job Abilities disappear. not spells though, and interestingly Foil works. I know I'm going against the grain trying to have my cake and eat it too. TOAU doesn't work that way, as BLU is fine with it's expac turned off. but even with subjobs set 75/75 can still only equip up to level 37 blue spells /blu. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#5976 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAKTJIKDAGYNS3TCD6YC6PDZKPTJFAVCNFSM6AAAAABKEOPILSVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43SRDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHM4TSNBXGUYDK . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.>

I had been considering a few things, mostly a module that hides the travel NPCS and changes the boat route on server start so people just can't access the zones.

That or just burying the NPCs behind crates.

Why isn't this supported? I personally think it's odd to have guides for these specific kinds of alterations hot-linked on the post-install guide, or options in the Luas, if it's not something encouraged. I understand that this is supposed to be more "Emulation" than "Wish fulfillment" I'm not trying to make incredulous changes, and get our server shutdown or anything like that, is there a list of rules somewhere? I would like to color in the lines as much as possible.

[zach2good]

The Post-Install Guide contains:

• Changing Game Settings
• Executing a MySQL Query
• Making a Game Master Character
• Making the Server Available to the Internet
• Port Forwarding
• Database Management

Are you thinking about the module guide being listed with the Development Articles?

The settings to restrict things by expansions are doing exactly that; if you restrict SOA there's no guarantee that any SOA content will continue to work. If you want to pick and choose what things work, that's entirely up to you.

As a project, we have to draw an arbitrary line in the sand about where we want to spend our effort, and that line is "emulating retail".

Any niceties that exist for customisation (Lua/cpp/SQL modules, DEs, custom menus) all exist because there is some wiggle room in the client, or implementing them was either easy and people were asking for them a lot, or it supported something we needed for retail emulation (DEs for Garrison Allies, etc.).

There's no list of rules about what is or isn't allowed, you can do whatever you like with your server. You can use discussions to talk to us about what you're trying to achieve, but there's a limit to what'll be easily available out of the box with what we provide, what you'll have to dig in and implement yourself, and what is straight up blocked by the game client that we have no control over*.

*: without substantial reverse engineering, which is well outside of our wheelhouse.

[zach2good]

Also, this codebase is maybe 15+ years old at this point. We don't know everything that's around, what settings are useful/working/vestigial etc. If something isn't working as intended please open an issue for us, or we'll never know about it.